Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro Flees to US, Cites 'Persecution'
Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro said he left Brazil to escape "persecution," claiming authorities planned to seize his passport amid a money laundering investigation. He made the remarks during an Instagram live on Friday, October 30. Bolsonaro fled to the United States via Argentina and Ecuador, arriving in Florida on October 28 on a private jet. He claimed police warned him of the passport seizure during a visit to his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is under house arrest. He used an Italian passport for travel. The senator, who lost the presidential runoff to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, has not conceded defeat and alleged electoral fraud, claims denied by courts and his own party. Democratic lawmakers have asked the Trump administration whether it assisted his travel.